Tourism Ireland leverages College Football opener to score big in the United States

Millions of Americans to see Ireland promotions during live ESPN broadcast.

This Saturday (23 August), the Aviva Stadium will host Kansas State University’s ‘Wildcats’ and Iowa State University’s ‘Cyclones’ for the opening fixture of the 2025 US College Football season. Over 24,000 international visitors – including up to 22,000 Americans – are expected to travel here for the game. They’ll spend an average of seven nights travelling right across the island of Ireland – generating an estimated €130 million for the economy, according to Grant Thornton.

Tourism Ireland in the United States has been working hard to leverage the tourism potential of this weekend’s game – using the high-profile sporting event to position the island of Ireland front and centre for millions of potential US holidaymakers.

The game will be broadcast live to around 4.5 million viewers across the US on ESPN – America’s go-to sports network and the sole broadcaster of the game. Tourism Ireland has partnered with ESPN to highlight Ireland to this huge audience. Activity will include:

• video segments spotlighting Ireland’s scenery and experiences;
• a joint welcome message from Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus; and
• on-screen callouts encouraging viewers to begin planning their visit on Tourism Ireland’s website, Ireland.com.

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “The Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on Ireland in one of our most important markets. We are delighted to welcome both teams and the thousands of fans who have travelled here for this weekend’s opening fixture of the 2025 US College Football season. The game is expected to deliver a significant economic boost of at least €130 million.

“We know from previous College Football events in Dublin that American fans typically stay seven nights on average and tour extensively around our regions, contributing substantially to local tourism businesses right across the island. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN and seen by an estimated 4.5 million people across the United States – providing a fantastic opportunity to highlight Ireland as a wonderful holiday destination, as well as a top location to host large-scale international sporting events.”

Over the past year, Tourism Ireland has also been working closely with Anthony Travel, the official travel company for both colleges, and other travel partners. The extensive programme of promotions has included advertising with the schools and alumni associations on radio, print, digital and social channels, as well as influencer activity – targeting the fans and alumni of both colleges, encouraging them to travel to Ireland for the ‘trip of a lifetime’. The game was also promoted on Tourism Ireland’s own channels – including the organisation’s website, Ireland.com, as well as via email marketing and on social media.